Song of Songs 4:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

It has been sufficiently demonstrated, through both the sacred Scriptures and the writings of Cyprian, that individuals engaged in unrighteous conduct, who remain unresponsive to the call for righteousness, can both administer and partake in baptism. Such individuals, despite their outward appearance within the community, do not truly belong to God's holy Church. They may exhibit traits of greed, theft, envy, malice, and other similar behaviors. In contrast, the Church is likened to the only dove (Song 6:9), chaste and pure, a bride free of blemishes or wrinkles (cf. Eph. 5:27), a garden that is locked, a sealed fountain, and a garden adorned with pomegranate fruits (Song 4:12-13), among various other beautiful descriptions attributed to her.

For one dead to passions and desires will interpret words in light of purity and incorruptibility, focusing on the heights, ‘where Christ is seated at the right hand of God’ (Col. 3:1), in Whom there is no passion, while the trivial concerns of this world will fade away.

Let us therefore engage with the Divine teachings through which the Word illustrates the beauty of the pure bride, perceiving these messages as if we have transcended flesh and blood, becoming spiritually renewed. ‘What is your beloved more than another beloved, O fairest among women? What is your beloved more than another beloved, that you thus adjure us?’ (Song of Songs 5:9). It is clear that anyone who fulfills the will of God is considered ‘brother’ and ‘sister’ and ‘mother’ to the Lord (Matt. 12:49). The innocent virgin who unites with Him to partake in the pure bridal chamber is rightly referred to as a bride, a truth evident to those familiar with the sacred words. However, upon examining the depth of these Divine utterances, I perceive that this proclamation is not simply an endorsement of the bride’s beauty by the Word, but rather that the Bridegroom denotes the reasons for the bride’s increasing loveliness; she would not be ‘nourished’ by the springs of good doctrine, which the Word metaphorically refers to as ‘teats,’ had she not first aligned herself as a sister to the Lord through virtuous deeds, resulting in her renewal to purity through spiritual rebirth.

Thus, He who acknowledges her as sister and bride provides the rationale for the transformation of her teats into something superior—that they no longer bear milk for the weak, but instead yield pure wine for the delight of the mature, whose goodness has not become tainted. In the words spoken by the Bridegroom, akin to the mutual admiration between lovers who affirm one another’s affections, we can sense a love-filled interaction. The Bridegroom acknowledges the Church using terms reminiscent of those with which she initially extolled His beauty. It is in her first expressions of yearning, wishing for His words to dwell within her, that she signifies the reason for her desire, revealing that the ‘good things from His mouth’ lavishly bestowed far exceed the nature of wine and allure all earthly scents, articulately declaring: ‘Your anointing oils are fragrant; your name is oil poured out; therefore virgins love you’ (Song of Songs 1:3).

Moreover, from various Scriptures, we understand the Divine wisdom teaches us that God is to us in a manner equivalent to how we choose to stand before Him by our free will (as David prophesies regarding the righteous [Ps. 72:1], and another prophet describes Him as a bear and a lion for those who live like beasts [Hosea 13:7-8]). The Word duly acknowledges the bride in the same expressions she used to exalt the beauty of the Lord. He commends the significant betterment in the function of her teats—that they have ceased to produce milk and now offer wine, which brings joy to the perfect, who are no longer burdened by the immaturity of infancy, capable of savoring the good gathered from the cup of wisdom. Recognizing the bride for her generous outpouring of wine, the Word also praises her fragrance, saying: ‘The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon’ (Song of Songs 4:11).

This praise is to be understood through the lens of Holy Scripture, which reveals the characteristics of what is deemed fragrant therein. Every sweet aroma is a delight to the senses. Hence, we can infer that the Word designates as fragrant everything the Scriptures proclaim as such. For instance, Noah offered a sacrifice to the Lord, and ‘the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma’ (Genesis 8:21). Therefore, the sacrifices offered to God—whether for atonement, thanksgiving, salvation, purification, or sin—should be regarded as fragrant offerings, including all the various offerings of grain, oil, incense, and others traditionally presented to God by fire. Understanding that the bride’s fragrance surpasses all others teaches us that the truth, understood through the Gospel doctrine, alone is acceptable to God, exceeding all lawful aromas, as it stands unblemished by shadows or symbols, revealed in the truth of its fullness.

For while earlier offerings may have been perceived by the Lord as a ‘pleasing aroma,’ they were commended not for their outer appearances but for what they symbolized. This is evident from the profound words of the Prophet: ‘I will not accept bulls from your house, or goats from your pens’ (Psalms 50:9). Even though many animals have been sacrificed, what matters is the underlying message, which urges us to extinguish the passions within ourselves. ‘The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise’ (Psalms 51:17). Thus, the offering of our praise glorifies Him who delights in such sacrifice. In light of this, having surpassed all traditional fragrances, the spiritually enriched soul, much like Paul, who is the ‘aroma of Christ’ (2 Cor. 2:15), becomes fragrant in life itself, resembling the myrrh of the priesthood and the incense—an admirable blend reflecting diverse virtues—worthy of the Bridegroom’s acceptance.

Therefore, since the seal preserves the integrity of that which it protects, deterring the thief through its branding while all that remains untouched stays safe in its owner’s possession, this praise signifies the utmost virtue in the bride: her mind, maintained in purity and devoid of passions, remains impervious to her adversaries. Her Lord adorns this spring with beauty, ensuring that no murky thoughts disturb the clarity and sacred lightness of her heart.

This signifies that the sacrament must remain safeguarded within you, lest it be corrupted by sinful actions and betrayals of purity, lest it be revealed to those unworthy and lest foolish talk spreads it among the unfaithful. Therefore, keep the watch over your faith steadfast, and maintain the integrity of your life and silence undefiled.

A garden that is walled in—encircled by a boundary of purity; a sealed spring—because virginity serves as the source and wellspring of honor, protected by the inviolable bonds of holiness, in which the image of God shines forth. With the purity of the body lies the purity of simplicity.

Be cautious, then, that the strength of your spirit does not become weakened, twisted by the innocence of bodily delights, causing the entire boundary to crumble, and allowing its waters to pour forth, which must be secured and shielded through diligent effort and the careful oversight of the mind. An enclosed well, a sealed spring. For when the strength of the spirit diminishes, the senses become susceptible to physical pleasures—senses that are perilous and destructive, drawing attention away, which could be kept in check should there be in place a vigilant guard of a robust spirit.

In gardens of this nature, where the image of God is imprinted through symbols, the rippling of a pure spring is illuminated. This ensures that even those currents of water that flow throughout the dwelling of spiritual beings do not become tainted. Here, chastity is enclosed by a spiritual fortress, rendering it impervious to violation. Thus, just as a garden resistant to thieves emits the fragrance of the vine, aromatic with the olive tree, and radiant with roses—so, in the spiritual garden, let piety flourish in place of the vine, peace in place of the olive, and the purity of consecrated virginity in place of the rose.

The divine sacraments are reserved not for the uninitiated, but for those who have received initiation; and not for those who turn back into sin after initiation, but rather for those who adhere to a righteous path or who have cleansed themselves through repentance.

The fragrance of your garments is akin to the sweet scent of frankincense (cf. Song of Songs 4:11). We previously noted that the Bridegroom Himself embodies her garment; the Apostle Paul affirms this when he declares, All ye that were baptised into Christ have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27). The Bridegroom is both eternal God and perfect man, born of the Blessed Virgin in the fullness of time; while remaining unchanged, He has united our nature with His own and has clothed the bride, who was once bare. The phrase, ‘The fragrance of your garment is like the fragrance of frankincense,’ captures the essence of your being clothed in Christ, who is both divine and human. Frankincense symbolizes the highest theology, which was offered to God under the Old Covenant.

What nourishes your suckling, O sister of my daughter-in-law? What nourishes your suckling beyond wine, and what is the scent of your garment greater than all perfumes? ‘Your breast’ signifies the sources of doctrine; from the spiritual wine and the cup of the mystery, it has received an abundance of sweetness. Your robes possess beauty because you are clothed in Me. Their incense is described as ‘more fragrant than all fragrance,’ representing a virtue that surpasses what is lawful. Addressing her as both sister and bride, as well as neighbor, signifies her closeness; for she expresses, ‘My soul clings to Thee’ (Psalm 62:9). Bride, because she receives from Him the seeds of teaching and bears the fruit of piety; sister, as He, through His humanity, shares the same origin and nature with her. The Bridegroom continues to praise her: The honey and the milk under your tongue, and the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon. The Church, as Paul teaches, is akin to the body made up of many members (Rom. 12:5, 1 Cor. 12:27). Some fulfill the role of eyes, others of ears, others of mouths. When the Bridegroom remarks, ‘A honeycomb of honey and milk under your tongue,’ He refers to the teachers of the Church who proclaim the sweet doctrines of piety, pouring their enriching words into the souls of the faithful. Not only do they impart sweetness, but they also provide nourishing milk, sustaining each stage of life (cf. 1 Cor. 3:2, Heb. 5:12). ‘And the fragrance of your garment is like the fragrance of Lebanon’ has been previously elucidated. The enclosed garden, my sister, bride, is securely surrounded; it is a sealed spring. He calls her a garden because she has produced an abundance of diverse spiritual fruits. Enclosed, she stands fortified against assaults. ‘And the gates of hell shall not prevail against her’ (Matt. 16:18). She differs from what emerged from Egypt, vulnerable to every passerby, and suffering attacks from sparrows (Ps. 79:14); she is fortified like grapes that are not accessible to everyone, but only to the worthy, reserved for those who have been entrusted with divine mysteries, not for those who, after cleansing, return to wickedness, but for those who pursue godliness and repentance.